Most people have had an ill-fated one night stand, where they have drunkenly exposed themselves to the other sex only to wake up with the worst hangover and a feeling of guilt and regret.

It’s like buyers remorse. You are on an absolute high, so you buy that new pair of shoes or iPad and the next day you realise that you could have shopped around, waited another month or never bought it at all.

In business, agreeing to have a one night stand with another company to promote your products or services is as a big deal as picking up a man or woman in a nightclub, having a fun night and waking up wondering whether it was all in fact worth it.

Doing joint ventures requires alot of effort and you never know what the return is. You don’t know if the next day brings a mutually happy scenario, or whether one party wants to continue and the other wouldn’t dream about it.

Before you make the fatal mistake of having a business one night stand, think about the consequences.

a) Is this a short-term or long-term proposition

b) Are both parties on the same page

c) Are both parties getting equal out of it

d) What are the pros and cons

e) How will you feel the next morning

f) Will there be followup

A one night stand can be just that, or the start of a new ‘life’ together.

Mellissah Smith is a marketing expert with more than 20 years experience. Having founded and built two successful marketing companies internationally, she is well recognized as a industry thought leader and innovator. Mellissah started her career working with technology and professional services firms, primarily in marketing, public relations and investor relations, positioning a number of successful companies to list on the various Stock Exchanges around the world. She is a writer, technology developer and entrepreneur who shares her thoughts and experiences through blogs and written articles published in various media outlets. Brag sheet: #2 marketer to follow on Twitter (2003), Top 150 Marketers to Follow (2015), Top 10 innovative marketers (2014), 60K+ followers on Twitter with 97% authentic.